Som Vinter is the new solo project of Swedish singer-songwriter Fred Bjorkvall, formerly associated with London-based alternative band Sam Kills Two. Just like some of his enduring influences such as Nick Drake, Elliott Smith or Warren Zevon his style of writing is emotive and will effortlessly move from ambient guitar in one song to layered arpeggiated classical guitars in another, all bound together by his instantly recognisable soft and hymnal-like voice. His journey so far has been fraught with personal struggle and music seems to be the only thing which has remained a constant in Bjorkvall's life, but the juxtaposition of writing songs which at their core come from a despondency about a society in decline whilst seeking recognition in the music industry has been a hard balancing act for him. One that has perpetuated a long standing battle with depression and an on and off relationship with addiction. These struggles and emotions permeate Bjorkvall's songwriting and as a result often leads to a melancholic sound, something which has led to his music being featured in film and TV with dark themes, such as celebrated BBC series 'In The Flesh' and 2015 british film Urban And The Shed Crew. Bjorkvall's former band Sam Kills Two split up in 2011 after having tried for some time to reconcile differences in their personalities and musical opinions. This happened just as they were starting to break through to a wider UK audience shortly after the release of their second studio album, Pretty Ugly. Just like the eponymous debut album this was also released on London label Rocket Girl Records. The band played one last show together at The Social in London for the release of the album. They had been working together for nearly three years. Bjorkvall's response to the break up was to make immediate attempts to record new material for a solo project but ended up so unhappy with the results that he decided to take a break from music entirely. A long bout of depression set in and he next spent nearly two years in and out of the illness dividing his time between writing at his home in South Bucks outside of London; and occasionally going home to Sweden and also briefly to south east Asia searching for new inspiration, and a reignition. The travel and the processing of the untimely band break up eventually lead to him rediscovering the sense of meaning to writing again. With the realisation of the importance of having music in his life Bjorkvall returned to the studio in early 2013 to write and develop the songs for a new album. "The break from music was affirming in many ways. I'm now producing music in my studio at my home in the country and I've been exploring new technology and new aspects of music. Working by yourself allows you an experimental space that you sometimes don't have in a band. Saying that, there was a point late in the making of the album when I realised that music is so much about circumstances and people and their thoughts working together. I realised I wanted to collaborate to finish this record and to be able to make it as special as I could see it had potential to be" In mid 2013, Bjorkvall invited long time friend and collaborator to work with him on the project, guitarist from Sam Kills Two Geoff Gamlen, a talented producer and multi-instrumentalist. The album promises a deeply introspective and close up view of Som Vinter and of his demons, struggles and joys in a modern world. It has a planned release of autumn 2015.